Former US President Donald Trump said that he had a “very good phone call” with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday (July 20) in which the latter congratulated him on his nomination for the presidential candidate in the US election this year. He said that the Ukrainian president also condemned the assassination attempt on him last week at a Pennsylvania rally. The conversation between the two leaders came after Trump formally accepted the Republican Party’s nomination for the president.
It also comes amid European concerns regarding what his policy towards Russia-Ukraine war would be, if he were elected as the president in November.
What did Trump say?
“President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and I had a very good phone call earlier today. He congratulated me on a very successful Republican National Convention and becoming the Republican nominee for President of the United States,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
“He condemned the heinous assassination attempt last Saturday and remarked about the American people coming together in the spirit of Unity during these times,” he added.
Trump went on to add that he “as your next President of the United States”, will bring “peace to the world”, and hailed Zelenskyy for “reaching out”.
“I appreciate President Zelenskyy for reaching out because I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families. Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity,” the Republican leader said.
Zelenskyy reacts to the conversation
Taking to X, Zelenskyy said that he spoke with Trump and both of them agreed to “discuss at a personal meeting” what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting.
“I spoke with @realDonaldTrump to congratulate him on the Republican nomination and condemn the shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. I wished him strength and absolute safety in the future. I noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation's freedom and independence. Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror. Russian attacks on our cities and villages continue every day,” Zelenskyy said.
“We agreed with President Trump to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting,” he added.
Trump’s stance on Russia-Ukraine war
Trump, since the beginning of Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, has maintained that he could bring an end to the war in a day, however, without mentioning how he would do so.
In last month’s CNN presidential debate, Trump had said that Putin’s terms for an agreement, which includes Ukraine ceding the four territories currently occupied by Russia, are “not acceptable”. However, he and his allies have also criticised sending US military aid to Ukraine, CNN reported.
Trump’s stance on NATO has been dubious as he has been long critical of the defence spending in the grouping of a military alliance of 32 member states, consisting 30 European and 2 North American nations.
He had earlier said that he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member country that does not meet the spending guidelines on defence, which unnerved several in Washington and Europe, CNN reported.
Trump-Zelenskyy history
Trump and Zelenskyy have also had their own history, according to the CNN report, which said that nearly five years ago, the former had repeatedly pushed for the latter to probe his political rival Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, on a call in the run-up to the 2020 presidential polls. That “perfect phone call,” in Trump’s words, led to his first impeachment, the report stated.
European diplomats have already begun preparations for the potential return of Trump to the White House, CNN earlier reported. They have been working to set up guard rails for NATO and trying to ensure lasting support for Ukraine in its war.
Zelenskyy, who was in the US last week, had said that “everyone is waiting for November”, including Putin.
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